London based designer Andrew Millar created this fun storage/seating hybrid, called Teddy Bag. Made from 100% natural wool material, the piece is completely recyclable and biodegradable. In addition to its obvious eco-friendliness, the item wins many space-saving points. Envisioned as flexible storage for kid’s room, the Teddy Bag holds clothes and soft toys, promoting tidiness at an early age. It can also be incorporated into an adult interior (which is to say – I want one).

It seems that there are two basic types of aircons on the market today – ugly and hideous. Aside from that – all of them play real havoc with your electric bill and negatively impact the environment. This impressive concept from designer Rami Santala is envisioned to address both problems. Visually stunning piece, called Foliage, is small enough to fit on a windowsill and smart enough to detect sunlight and use it to power the device. Inspired by houseplants, Foliage transforms the shape of its ‘leaves’ to harvest more light. Another reason why this idea makes perfect sense is that we mostly need air-conditioning during the summer, when the sunlight is abundant. So, there you have it – the air that is clean and cool in all senses of the word.

Here is a bright idea from Washington based company Rotoluxe. They combined tables and planters with CFL/LED lighting, creating a double function that is not only attractive, by also eco-conscious. All luminous pieces are made from 100% recycled plastic, which makes them environmentally friendly. The manufacturing process is highly sustainable too – left over shavings and cut-away pieces go right back into the shredder to make fresh new parts. So, instead of cluttering a landfill, used plastic bottles and production scraps can illuminate and enhance the space around us. And that is a beautiful thing…

Eco designer Petz Scholtus recently celebrated the completion of her most personal project. She adapted her own apartment in Barcelona to a green lifestyle. The place, located in the historic Barri Gòtic area, is on the smallish side – only 58 square meters (624 square feet). It was in the desperate need of a major gut reno when Petz bought it in 2006. In order to make the apartment livable and green (and to save some green too), she implemented the five Rs of eco design: Reuse | Reduce | Recycle | Restore | Respect. The result is a hip and responsible eco pad, full of innovative solutions and fun details. Do watch the video of the apartment tour, revealing lots of great space-saving ideas. Also, check out Petz’s blog to see all stages of the process and many useful resources.

This minimalistic piece by Finnish designer Timo Niskanen was shown at the DMY Berlin festival this week. Called Change for more reasons than one, this coin deposit lamp encourages people to turn the light off after leaving the desk. Envisioned as a sustainable lighting solution for public places (libraries etc.), Change can definitely find its place in a private home as a symbolic reminder of our ecological footprint (and our electric bill). This clever and thoughtful design comes from Niskanen’s interest in human behavior and specifically, how it can take acount in design process. Here is how the designer explains his creative vision: ‘We are surrounded with complicated and unnecessary things. I think a good product feels natural – it only bears the essential. A good designer creates an experience out of something simple and functional. An experience that is meaningful.’

This neat little thing screams good sense. Envisioned by Swedish designer Jonas Forsman for Creatables, the Old News newspaper collector allows you to store your periodicals in style while they are waiting to be recycled. The piece itself is made from recycled sport felt, which is right up the same eco street. So, instead of chaotic piling you can now engage in some environmentally conscious accumulating. This does sound better.